Christopher Strachey | |
---|---|
![]() Early computer printout of Christopher Strachey in the Bodleian Library, Oxford | |
Born | Hampstead, England | 16 November 1916
Died | 18 May 1975 Oxford, England | (aged 58)
Citizenship | British |
Education | Gresham's School |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA) |
Known for | CPL, denotational semantics, Fundamental Concepts in Programming Languages, time-sharing |
Parent(s) | Oliver Strachey Ray Costelloe |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Computer Science |
Institutions | University of Cambridge, University of Oxford St Edmund's School, Canterbury Harrow School |
Doctoral students | Peter Mosses David Turner |
Christopher S. Strachey (/ˈstreɪtʃi/; 16 November 1916 – 18 May 1975) was a British computer scientist.[1][2][3] He was one of the founders of denotational semantics, and a pioneer in programming language design and computer time-sharing.[4] He has also been credited as possibly being the first developer of a video game[5] and for coining terms such as polymorphism and referential transparency that are still widely used by developers today.[6] He was a member of the Strachey family, prominent in government, arts, administration, and academia.